Augsburg, Peace of

Augsburg, Peace of, proclamation of September 25, 1555, by the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire, ending for a time the struggle between Lutherans and Roman Catholics in Germany, which had been a central feature of the long reign of Charles V. The underlying cause was the war-weariness of the leaders of both factions and an acceptance by Catholics that Protestantism could never be eliminated, but Charles V, though he proclaimed the Diet, refused to attend, authorizing his brother Ferdinand (later Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I) to agree to the necessary compromises.

The Peace gave Lutheranism legal status for the first time in Germany. The leader of each state could choose its religion and compel his subjects to accept his decision. Those who refused could sell their property and emigrate. Whole towns and communities within Catholic states which had become Lutheran, however, could also choose to remain so. Land taken from the Roman Catholic Church by Lutheran states would remain Lutheran, but an ecclesiastical prelate who in future became Protestant would have to surrender his lands as well as his office. There was such strong opposition to these land provisions that Ferdinand added the clause on his own authority, noting that agreement had not been reached on it. Though the Peace of Augsburg fully satisfied no one, 50 years of religious peace in Germany did indeed follow.